Don't Just Put the Intern on It: Breaking the Cycle of E-Commerce Resistance
04/23/25 • 10 min
The host Kiri Masters shares her framework for how brands evolve when selling on Amazon, from initial ignorance to full integration, while drawing parallels to current digital commerce challenges. She discusses insights from Stratably's report "How to Educate Senior Leaders on eCommerce," which offers strategies for overcoming organizational resistance to e-commerce investments. Kiri also provides practical advice for e-commerce leaders looking to advocate for digital transformation within traditional organizations, including using relatable metaphors, creating compelling digital visions, and building partnerships with key stakeholders like finance teams.
Link to Stratably's report, How to Educate Senior Leaders on eCommerce: https://stratably.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Stratably_How-to-Educate-Senior-Leaders-on-eCommerce_2024.pdf
Link to Kiri's blog post on this: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com/dont-just-put-the-intern-on-it-breaking-the-cycle-of-e-commerce-resistance/
PRODUCED BY:
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) About Today's Topic
(01:24) About the Show
(01:45) The Evolution of a Brand Selling on Amazon
(01:50) Stage One: Ignorance
(02:14) Stage Two: Put the Intern on It
(02:36) Stage Three: Panic
(03:08) Stage Four: Engagement and Integration
(03:36) New Digital Battlegrounds
(04:04) Challenges in E-Commerce Adoption
(04:47) Overcoming Resistance to E-Commerce
(06:24) Accelerating E-Commerce Evolution
(06:38) Practical Tips for E-Commerce Success
(08:37) Building Internal Understanding and Partnerships
(10:19) Conclusion: The Evolution Continues
(10:23) Outro
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiri-masters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retailmediabreakfastclub
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club/id1782187624//
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3s5MuqcrsOmQDKn3uMYJKb
The host Kiri Masters shares her framework for how brands evolve when selling on Amazon, from initial ignorance to full integration, while drawing parallels to current digital commerce challenges. She discusses insights from Stratably's report "How to Educate Senior Leaders on eCommerce," which offers strategies for overcoming organizational resistance to e-commerce investments. Kiri also provides practical advice for e-commerce leaders looking to advocate for digital transformation within traditional organizations, including using relatable metaphors, creating compelling digital visions, and building partnerships with key stakeholders like finance teams.
Link to Stratably's report, How to Educate Senior Leaders on eCommerce: https://stratably.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Stratably_How-to-Educate-Senior-Leaders-on-eCommerce_2024.pdf
Link to Kiri's blog post on this: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com/dont-just-put-the-intern-on-it-breaking-the-cycle-of-e-commerce-resistance/
PRODUCED BY:
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) About Today's Topic
(01:24) About the Show
(01:45) The Evolution of a Brand Selling on Amazon
(01:50) Stage One: Ignorance
(02:14) Stage Two: Put the Intern on It
(02:36) Stage Three: Panic
(03:08) Stage Four: Engagement and Integration
(03:36) New Digital Battlegrounds
(04:04) Challenges in E-Commerce Adoption
(04:47) Overcoming Resistance to E-Commerce
(06:24) Accelerating E-Commerce Evolution
(06:38) Practical Tips for E-Commerce Success
(08:37) Building Internal Understanding and Partnerships
(10:19) Conclusion: The Evolution Continues
(10:23) Outro
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiri-masters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retailmediabreakfastclub
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club/id1782187624//
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3s5MuqcrsOmQDKn3uMYJKb
Previous Episode
WOAS: Waste of Ad Spend
Podean, an independent retail media and marketplaces agency, recently launched the "WOAS" Awards (Waste of Ad Spend Awards), a parody award highlighting how brands unknowingly waste retail media budgets. The awards spotlight three key issues: ineffective targeting, unoptimized budgets, and disconnects between media buying and business goals. Industry experts including Vanessa Hung, Danny Silverman, Tony Crutcher, and Mike Feldman weigh in on additional problems, from applying uniform strategies across different product categories to misallocating traditional digital talent to retail media roles without proper training. As retailers demand increased spending and the ecosystem grows more complex, cutting ineffective spending and implementing specialized expertise is becoming a competitive necessity rather than just a cost-saving measure.
Kiri's Forbes Post on WOAS: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirimasters/2025/04/22/retail-medias-waste-problem-sparks-industry-awards-for-bad-practices/
PRODUCED BY:
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) About Today's Topic
(01:33) About the Show
(01:54) Introduction to the WOAS Awards
(02:22) Identifying Retail Media Waste
(03:32) Insights from Industry Experts
(03:51) Vanessa Hung on Category-Specific Strategies
(05:30) Danny Silverman on Talent and Org Design
(06:34) Tony Retcher on Fragmented Retail Media
(07:15) Mike Feldman on Cutting Ineffective Spend
(08:19) Conclusion: Navigating the Retail Media Landscape
(08:49) Outro
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiri-masters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retailmediabreakfastclub
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club/id1782187624//
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3s5MuqcrsOmQDKn3uMYJKb
Next Episode
Offsite vs onsite retail media
In this insightful episode, Kiri Masters breaks down the growing importance of offsite retail media, which extends retailers' advertising capabilities beyond their own digital properties. She explains how this approach allows brands to leverage retailers' rich first-party customer data to target specific consumer segments across various digital channels while maintaining closed-loop measurement of sales impact. The episode highlights key benefits for brands including better targeting amid the disappearance of third-party cookies, full-funnel marketing capabilities, and the ability to reach incremental audiences who may not regularly visit retailer websites or apps. Despite challenges around data capabilities, complex measurement, and privacy concerns, offsite retail media offers a compelling bridge between retail and digital advertising worlds.
PRODUCED BY:
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) About Today's Topic
(01:35) About the Show
(01:56) Introduction to Offsite Retail Media
(02:55) The Power of First-Party Data
(03:34) Full Funnel Approach in Offsite Retail Media
(04:10) Case Study: Water Pick and Walmart Connect
(04:48) Reaching Incremental Audiences
(06:03) Measuring Brand Building Advertising
(06:35) Benefits for Retailers
(08:15) Challenges and Considerations
(08:54) Conclusion: The Future of Offsite Retail Media
(09:12) Outro
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.retailmediabreakfastclub.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiri-masters/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@retailmediabreakfastclub
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club/id1782187624//
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3s5MuqcrsOmQDKn3uMYJKb
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